Improvement in hemp-cutters



a SHEET EEEEEEEE I PATENTED AUG. 21, 1855.

J. L. HARDEMAN. HEMP CUTTER.

s SHEETS-SHIZET 2 No. "3,460. PATENTED AUG. 21, 1855. J. L. HARDER IAN.

HEMP CUTTER.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3 UNI -ED STATES PATENT! J. HARDEMAhLfZOFARRQW noc Mrssotnn'- 'l M PROVEli/IENT I IN H EM P-cu TeR-s;

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No.1 3.460, dated August 21,1835.

if'o all whom it mag democrat.-

Be it known that 1, JOHN LOGKE HARDEnA nfArrow Rock, in the county ot'Saline and State v of Missouri, have invented a new and useful machine. for the cuttin g othern p by horse-power, entitled ,Hardemans improved Hemp Gut- 'ter; and I do herebydeclarethatthe following is a full, clear, and exact description of the. cone sir-notion and operation'ot' the same, rel'ere'nce being bad to the annexed "drawings, making-a part of this specification, irr'whieh- Plate 1 is a perspective-view,Plate 2,

ground view and Plate 3 contains parts oftbe machine, in which Figurel is a side view Fig. 2,

the arm with points attached; Fig. 3, the 0 can ing-shears, bar, riffle-rod, and pitman; Fig. 4,

the combination of gearing; Fig. 5, a longitudinal View of azform cut transversely through the center with blade attached; Fig. 6, an end view of the same; Fig. 7, a section of the arm in perspective; Fig. 8, a diagram for obtaining the curvature of the reel--arm,j and Fig. -9 a shears; h, shear-bar; i,riffle-rod 7', reel; Io, reel-.

heads; I, arm-supports; m, reel-arms; mfgatln ering-rod;--o, flanking-board; p, separator; q,

separatorrod-f r, separator-frame; s, traveling wheel; t,S])lll-Wl;l 8l; u'-,=spur-pinion;'o, bevelw'heel, w, 'bevcl-pinioniw, crank-shaft; y, pitman; 2, bevel-pinion for driving the reel; &,

bevel-w heel matching the same; a a, reel-shaft;

b b, caster wh'eel; c c,'ftail-wheel, and d (l shearfastenings; all'thedrawings on-a scale of one inch to therfoot. r

My improvement consists in the invention of an entirely new reel and a ditl'erent cleaningshear, being improvements upon the method of cutting hemp, 8.70., describedin the-specification "of patent granted to me, dated 20th. Angust,]850.-. I

The improved machine is thus constructed A straight arm or beam extends from the frame of the machine sixl'eet. four inches into the hemp to be cut at a right angle with the course of the team. 0t this arm a, Ilatesl and 2, about one-quarter is used-mereiy-ibr the purpose of securing it to the frame-work across. and underneath, which t passes-and is made 'inchesin height.

the ground when the same is'une square point form the upper shear fastened fast 'into-joggles by strong-iron bolts. it is furnished with eight smallscythes, 1), Plate .5, narrbwing near the point to lit the angle of junction, (see'llate 3 ,'Fig. 9,) and are screwed beneath to a number of tornis attached by hinges 0, Plate 2, to the arm a, Platejil. Three base of which rests against the arm a, Plate 3;

I Fig. A section otfoneis shown in Plate 3,

Fig. 6. The sides are turned" up at an angle of thirty degrees, so as to'form rests for the support ofihe blades. To the. flat part ofthe base'tlie hinges are attached. The apex direeted forward is fourteen inches in height. With the blades attached the space occupied on the arm, Plate 3 Fig |2,'is sixteen and a halt inches,

leaving one-andahalt' inch opening between each series of blades, the whole, with the cleaner, cutting a swathsixi'eet wide. The other two forms, c, Plate 3, Fig. 2, which occupy the right and left hand sides of the series,

arc 'half-points, with the sides-opposite thescythes turned up to a perpcndicnlarf three The hinges 0, Plate 3, Fig. 2, are a simple hook-andeye, so that the iorms,-w itb their blades attached, can be readily taken ol'tf the arm i'or thc'purposeot' sharpening the blades, orsubstitutiugothers already sharp. A'curved bar'ot' iron,f, Plate 3, Fig. 5,is- 1ixed te the under side of the'forms, which serves as'a brace and guard to prevent the blades from entering on], the hinges allowing it to rise mutt-(n1 for bat purpose. The-hemp not cut by the scythes drives back into the shears 1, Plate 2:, which arc'n a'de. by circular openings in the arm a, Plate 2, of three inches-in depth and two inches wide on:

the front of. the arm. The edges of the openthe net her shear and triaiigular blades witba npon't'he bar It, Plate 2', working in a groove in the arm.'z-"They arei'n'a'de to play over the openingsfwith a reciprocating motion obtained bya crank and gearing, hereinafter described.

i i-connection with the barh, i late 2, is a rifli'e-rod', 43, Plate, 2, of wood corrugated, in order to impart a -slightdegr'ee ot'"rnot-ion' to the hemp after it is" cut, so as tocause it to slip more easily oif the arm, oier w-h ich it has fallen.

The nppersheargbar, rifi'l'e rod and pitman mg. are covered by plates ofv steel, which make t i I 13.460

areshown in Plate 3, Fig. 3, apart from their working-place on the arm, Plate 3, Fig. 2, upon which are shown the fastenings d d, Plate 3,-v

Fig. 2, turned around, so as to admit of the barbeing removed. V The hemp is sustained and brought up against'the scythes by a horizontal reel, j, IPlate 2, havingtwelve curved arms, m, Plate 2, and is constructed as follows: A nave or.

center. is formed of two grooved headsto match,

-lc,-1-,1 i ates 2 and 3, Fig. 1,1nade of plankgwhich' aneliolted together. Twelve supports, l,"1-Tlate -2, entendin g from th ev verge of: the heads and" having a dip downward fromthe "head totheir point-s, aremade secure-in It his nave in the form of radiating spokes-.1- A like 'number' of;

" curvedarms m,.Plate-2, are securedat their heel (touchi'n'g'the head) upon a support and restingupo'n the point of thenextone forward, Tojform these, a curve is first worked out of one-inch plank. Two ,fe'etthree inchesis straight and six inches-wide. From that to" the pointitis the segment'of a circleot'fou r feet radius, narrowing to one, and '-a' lialt'.-' inch,

- Plate 3, Fig. 8, the center of which is at .a right angle with the termination of the straight part of the arm. This curve is covered with another thickness of plank halt the width of the first, except the straight part ofthe arm,

which isscantlin g for the purpose of more'secnrely bolting the arms to the support. To the inn'er-sideof the curve is bent and ,secured' a'plank to form the face orworking part ot the arm. This reel also greatly aids=-intheseparation or removal of the hemp that has been out, the operation being such that it scarcely disturbsthe standing hemp but the moment the cutting takes place it sweeps it off, directing itsfall backward, while that at theend of the arm is thrown across the gathering-rod, a, {Plate 2, which trails behind the arm. This gathering-rod is made of a. rodot. one inchround iron. Eighteen inches of its'length lies parallel to and close along the back edge of the. arm, kept in its place by hooks. 'lhe rest of the rod is bent backward at an angle of ninety degrees and curved downward to the ground at six inches; at two feet rises at ar. angle-ofthirty degrees, formingan inclined plane to raise the hemp out of the stubble, and the end three feet six inches from the-arm turned up toa perpendicular to prevent the hemp drifting over it.- Bythe progress of the machine this red straightens the hemp into a narrow- .continuous swath, leaving a space for the team an d machine to travel in its succeed lingcourse. Thi s swathing'proces's is further- .aided b a triangular flanking-board,o,Plate" 3, Fig. fastened to the framework-and projecting downward at an angleot fifteen degrees, to throw the hemp into the swath from the side oppositethe gathering-rod. A circu" lar plank, p, Plate 2, is. secured at an angle of thirty-five degrees to the scan tlin gs r, Plate-1, at the end of the arm. This plank, with its l rod q, Plate 2, serves to separate the cut hemp from that which is left standing.

The system of gearing thatdrives the cleaner Ya'nd'r'eel is.,as follows: A traveling-wheel, s,

Plate 3, Fig. 4, is'hu'n g upon a shaft crossing undernl th the-.fi ame-work and supporting themachine. it has within it and bolte'il to' its arms, which are placed to one side of the center vfor the purpose of giving room, a spurwheel, t,. Plate 3, Fig. 4, of sixtyeight cogs; matching and driving a pinion, u, PlateB, Fig,

4, of twelve. cogs, overhung on a shafh-mpon the otherendof' which is a bevel-wheeho,

Plate 3,1n'g; 4, of-fit'ty'cogs, matching and driving a-'piniou, w, Plate 3, Fig. 4,101 thirteen cogs, upomthe-orank-shaft w,-Pl.ate 3, Fig.- 4,

with a crank, connecting by 'thejp'itman Plate 2,---with ;the shear-bar, giving motionito the uppershear-bladesand rilfie-rodfijUpOn-the same shaft with the traveling-wheel isabevelpinion, 2, Plate 3, Fig.4, of twelve cogs, malching into and driving a wheel, &, Plate 3, Fig; 4,-of twenty-four cogs, huh g upon the lower end of a shaft, a a, PlateB, Fig.4,- roundto the up-' per'hearing and square from that to the top,

upon which the reel ishung. This shalt stands thirteen inches from the working side of the machine, and at an angle of ten degrees. 'forward of a perpendicular- The frame-work is made of oak, put together as in the draw! in'gs,audbalanced upon the traveling-wheel. The caster-wheel is shown at b b, Plate 3, Fig.

1, and the tail-wheel at c 0,:Plate1. 1 Thus ituwill be seen that the operation of this machine is such thatthe cutting is-done' after the manner of mowing or reaping soythes,

having a'glanciu g and upward stroke, and requiring but little power to propel them forward. The side reel-both sustains the-hemp against the scythe's and disposes of it in a direction tc he swathed always out of the way' .ofthe team and machine, whichfpasses con tinually around the hemp, millet, or other article' to be cut. The breadth oflk'erf .is "six' ticles of like nature, such reel having. curved.

arms, be the curvature more or less.

2. Thecleanlng-shears,constructed andoperating substantially as'abov'e set forth and described.

J; LocKn HARD EMA- Wi tnesses:

v .E. 'M B RADFO RD,.

Samuel-Henson; 

